Many moons ago I ordered tickets to hear the Dalai Lama's teaching "The Blade Wheel of Mind Transformation", sponsored by Tibet House. Tomorrow is the first day.
Now, lately I haven't been feeling particularly Buddhist or enlightened, so I suppose this could work out to be a very uninspiring event. I hope it's the opposite. I have to get up at a truly ungodly hour to make it to the theatre at the suggested time of 8 am; this is the most unappealing part, including all the travelling I'll have to do to get back and forth from it each day.
I have no idea what to expect, but my mind could stand to get sliced and diced by a blade wheel these days. So it could be good.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Buddhist Temple
After our hike, we went for a perfectly wonderful ice cream cone at Popey's in Morris, CT. I got a scoop of Moose Tracks (tiny peanut butter cups embedded in chocolate ice cream with chocolate syrup. Drool).
We also picked up some fresh corn from a farm stand, and stopped at a fish truck where I got a small slab of tuna - these items made up my delicious dinner tonight.
On the way out of Morris, we passed this Buddist temple. Their sign reads "Lao Buddha Ariyamettaram Temple". It's quite a strange site in the middle of rural Connecticut.
And it's a fitting segue into my next post...
We also picked up some fresh corn from a farm stand, and stopped at a fish truck where I got a small slab of tuna - these items made up my delicious dinner tonight.
On the way out of Morris, we passed this Buddist temple. Their sign reads "Lao Buddha Ariyamettaram Temple". It's quite a strange site in the middle of rural Connecticut.
And it's a fitting segue into my next post...
Memorial
Just after crossing Rt 109, you come to this little stone memorial. It reads:
IN MEMORY OF KEVIN ELLIOTT
1959 - 1992
"PRAY FOR WIND"
GIVEN BY HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS
There's a white seashell on the top of the rock, and a bouquet of plastic roses to one side.
IN MEMORY OF KEVIN ELLIOTT
1959 - 1992
"PRAY FOR WIND"
GIVEN BY HIS FAMILY AND FRIENDS
There's a white seashell on the top of the rock, and a bouquet of plastic roses to one side.
Baby snapping turtle
Shortly after starting out, we discovered a very small turtle right smack in the middle of the trail. It was about the size of the palm of my hand.
I think it was a baby snapping turtle; its tail was quite long and its snout looked somewhat hooked, and its shell looks right as well (that sort of prehistoric look). It was hardly perturbed by us; it didn't bother to pull its head and limbs into its shell. I wonder whether it was sick, given how little it reacted to us.
We moved it a short way up the trail to the side of a stream where it had less chance of getting crushed by feet. I hope it's not ill; it was a cute little guy.
I think it was a baby snapping turtle; its tail was quite long and its snout looked somewhat hooked, and its shell looks right as well (that sort of prehistoric look). It was hardly perturbed by us; it didn't bother to pull its head and limbs into its shell. I wonder whether it was sick, given how little it reacted to us.
We moved it a short way up the trail to the side of a stream where it had less chance of getting crushed by feet. I hope it's not ill; it was a cute little guy.
Survey mark
At the foot of the "witness post" was this survey mark. It reads:
U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
DO NOT DISTURB
SURVEY MARK
BR 74
EL 529.877
1979
I love these things!
U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS
DO NOT DISTURB
SURVEY MARK
BR 74
EL 529.877
1979
I love these things!
Boundary Line Witness Post
Today's hike: 2 h 30 min | 5 mi | 2 mph.
I did the "Waterbury Reservoirs" section of the Mattatuck with my sister and her dog today. We parked one car at each end of the trail so we wouldn't have to retrace our steps; nice to be able to do that when hiking with someone else.
This is a post planted by the US Army Corps of Engineers. I found the idea of a "Witness Post" especially intriguing, so I had to photograph it...
I did the "Waterbury Reservoirs" section of the Mattatuck with my sister and her dog today. We parked one car at each end of the trail so we wouldn't have to retrace our steps; nice to be able to do that when hiking with someone else.
This is a post planted by the US Army Corps of Engineers. I found the idea of a "Witness Post" especially intriguing, so I had to photograph it...
Monday, September 18, 2006
N.A.S.A. Orbital Tracking Disk - U.S.A.
This is a new feature on the Quinnipiac Trail. There used to be a USGS marker up along the trail here, but I didn't notice it today. Instead, I found this new artifact. The disk is about the size of my hand, and seems to be embedded in concrete. It reads "N.A.S.A. Orbital Tracking Disk U.S.A.". I searched the web for "orbital tracking disk" and got no results. So it's a bit of a mystery.
View from Elephant Rock
I took a day off from work and hiked up to Elephant Rock today (Mt Sanford region of the Quinnipiac Trail). I did a loop by taking the blue-red-dot trail on the way out and coming back by the blue trail.
It was a bit too humid... like a real summer day. Nice, anyway.
It was a bit too humid... like a real summer day. Nice, anyway.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
View
I've been busy, busy, busy. But I've had time for a few excellent hikes. I did two hours today on the Mattabesett along the Trimountain section. The weather was most cooperative.
This view is taken in the vicinity of "Three Notches"; I lay along the white-blazed rock that overhangs the cliff in order to shoot the photo. From this rock, looking south, you see Ulbrich Reservoir and the firing range. This view is sort of northwest. I think that's the Metacomet ridge off in the distance.
This view is taken in the vicinity of "Three Notches"; I lay along the white-blazed rock that overhangs the cliff in order to shoot the photo. From this rock, looking south, you see Ulbrich Reservoir and the firing range. This view is sort of northwest. I think that's the Metacomet ridge off in the distance.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
A story about "Red Harvest (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard)"
by Dashiell Hammett
Recently, I’ve needed some escapist literature to get my mind off life before going to sleep at night. A friend of mine has loaned me a few potboilers for this purpose. I’m starting with Red Harvest, by Dashiell Hammett. Right off the bat, there’s mention of the Wobblies and the I.W.W. (Industrial Workers of the World). Thus, it is a very fitting segue from The Twentieth Century: A People’s History.
I read the first chapter last night, and fell asleep soon after.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)